Image Gallery: Matthew Miller's mobile device history, 1997-2008

I was recently asked how many PDAs and mobile phones I have owned since I started using them in 1997 and discovered there were 90 that I could remember. This doesn't even count all the review units I used for 2 weeks to 30 days throughout the years too. Take a walk down memory lane and see how many of these devices you remember using too.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I just had to upgrade to a device with more memory.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This was my first device I cracked open and installed a memory expansion slot in. This is one of the first devices with external storage and I used it for ebooks.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I had one of these long ago and just recently a buddy sent me one to add to my collection.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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My first color PDA! I was blown away by the color and display on this device.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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The Newton was wonderful for handwriting and as an Apple fan at the time it was nice to see their logo on a device.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This was my first Pocket PC and it was built like a rock with a metal case and nice flip cover to protect the display.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I won this in a photo contest at PDABuzz.com and I found it to be much better than my Jornada and MUCH faster.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This was an expensive device for me to purchase, but I was very pleased with the HP Jornada form factor and this was a great upgrade to the 548.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I still think this was one of the best form factor devices and was ahead of its time.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This was a color upgrade to the Vx, but had some issues with low brightness.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I upgraded from my MP130 to this device for more memory and a larger display.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I wanted to dabble in Linux and picked this up for a good deal online.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This was my first Sony Palm OS device and after buying it I was hooked on Sony until they left the PDA market. Good multimedia support back when Palm said we didn't need it.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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One of my many upgrades in the CLIE family. I liked the form factor with the thumb keyboard.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A good upgrade from the NR70.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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Dell came into the Pocket PC market with low prices and decent hardware.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I believe this device came out right as HP was taking over Compaq and it offered Bluetooth over the other Pocket PCs I had.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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One of the first HP branded iPAQs and an amazingly small form factor.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A freebie from Amazon when I signed up with T-Mobile. I used it mainly as a Bluetooth modem for my devices.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I bought this the first day they were available at the T-Mobile store and it hooked me on a converged device and wireless data access.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A powerhouse of a device with dual slots and wireless functions. I actually drove 2 hours and bought this at Frys before it was actually available so I could write a review up on Geek.com.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A good upgrade to the 1910 in a small form factor.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I liked the Handspring idea and bought the EDGE because it was so slim and had a nice form factor.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I bought this to get a QWERTY keyboard in a form factor more pocketable than the NX70.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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Another upgrade in the Sony CLIE lineup. I actually only had this one for about a week when I went to CompUSA to trade up for a UX50.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This device was available a week after the NX80 and in the end it cost me over $700 and I thought my wife was going to kill me.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I actually received this at Mobius and gave it to my wife to use after a bit and she hasn't left the WM Smartphone platform since then.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I wanted to dabble a bit in the Handheld PC market so I found this device online from some government worker who had a few saved up in surplus. Very nice device, but needed a better browser.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I bought this because it had a larger keyboard than the Jornada, but again the Windows CE OS limited me too much.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This was one rocking gaming machine, but was missing a few things I wanted in a device and never was able to upgrade before they went out of business.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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One of the best Palm OS devices I ever used. I actually gave it to a neighbor and it is still floating around somewhere.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This was a great Windows Mobile Smartphone that felt good in the hand.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I couldn't resist and bought another, but the lack of WiFi sunk it.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I bought another UX50.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This device had a great QWERTY keyboard and even though it was long it was quite slim. I would have loved to have seen this with a phone radio.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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One of my first foreign purchases where I discovered I could get newer tech through importers.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A nice upgrade from the X5 that slimmed down a bit. It was still a bit blocky though.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I tried to dabble in the Zaurus line again, but just didn't have time to tweak around with it.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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An upgrade to my MDA II. I paid over $850 on ebay for this and still think it was one of my top 10 devices.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I like this device so much I found another on Overstock.com.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I wanted to try out a VGA display and it was pretty impressive.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I still have this, but the battery only lasts for a few minutes. Interesting design with the stylus in the strap, but too big to be a watch and too small for a PDA.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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You could tell that Dell partnered with a new manufacturer as they slimmed down the Axim line to bring it up to modern designs. It had a definite iPaq look at feel to it.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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Same device as my MDA III and I just had to go back to it for a while.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A nice upgrade in the WM Smartphone arena. Very slim and probably the last nice phone-focused device we have seen in years.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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Seemed to be an upgrade to the MPx200, but plagued by major problems and a real piece of junk.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I just had to make sure I kept a solid piece of my history. This one appears in like new condition and works like a champ today.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I picked this one up for about $100 and just keeping it for historical purposes.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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One of the smallest Phone Edition devices ever and was awesome.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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An interesting Nokia Series 60 device that I again used primarily as a modem.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I think I actually had a couple of these throughout my history and used this one for over a year, which is a record for me.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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The most powerful Pocket PC at the time that could still be considered a powerful device. This was the last in the Dell line and was a great machine.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This was the first Nokia device loaned to me as part of the Nseries Blogger Relations program. I used it for photos in Disney World and it took better photos than my wife's dedicated digital camera. Cool form factor that generated lots of conversations.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A solid device that actually spent a bit of time in China recently.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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One of my all time favorite Nseries devices that has a beautiful display, cool slider camera design, and super long lasting battery.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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An upgrade to the N90, but has been buggy for me off and on. I like the form factor for some things, but it is quite chunky for daily usage.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This device really hooked me onto music on my phone and was rock solid. A bit heavy, but also felt good in my hand.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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One of the first QWERTY slider Pocket PC Phone Edition devices.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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Wow, the camera on this device is amazing and I can see why it is one of the best all-time sellers for Nokia. Speakers also rock for music on the device.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I was blown away by the resolution of the display, but the device is a bit chunky and didn't really fit in to the lineup that well.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I keep going back to using this device for music. I used it in Spain and the battery lasted forever as it served as my modem.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A functional Linux device from Nokia that serves quite well as a couch browsing device.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I was pleased with how inexpensive this was from a US importer compared to some prices I paid for devices. The E61 was a bit too wide though.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I tried out Sprint for a bit, but the service just didn't work well at my house so the device went back.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I saw this at the S60 Summit and loved the slimmed down form factor from the E61 so I bought one when I returned.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This was an excellent and powerful modern Windows Mobile Phone Edition device.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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i-mate tried with this device, but it just didn't feel as solid as other manufacturer's devices. It was the slimmest Phone Edition device at one time though.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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Yes, I will be keeping this one :)

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This is the device my wife has adopted and went through a couple of them already after drops and breakage. She loves it and won't give it up. It is one of my favorite form factors for Windows Mobile Smartphones and the battery lasts forever.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I camped out in line with my two oldest daughters for this device and it has really changed the mobile landscape for the better.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I loved the N95 so much that I just had to buy the US 3G version of it.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A cool design with a keyboard that is very functional. Battery life is the Achilles heel though.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This device has served as an excellent mobile office device when I want to travel light without a laptop.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A nice slim Phone Edition device that also gives you a keyboard for easier dialing.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A good upgrade to the N800 with a slimmer form factor and keyboard, but the dual SD slots in the N800 may make it a better choice for many.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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My first BlackBerry device. It was very nice, but I wanted a bit more and like full QWERTY keyboards.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This was a surprise from HTC at a recent Mobius. It is a good upgrade to the 7501, but way too pricey for people to pick up.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A very good HTC device that shows how far they can push Windows Mobile to be fun.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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The Xenon lens sets this device apart, but lack of 3G in the US and a bit of chunkiness don't compel me to use it much.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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First device with S60 Feature Pack 2 that offers some nice functionality.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I kept this device for about 10 days, but the poor 3G performance and increase in monthly costs prompted me to return it.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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Now this is the upgrade I was looking for in the Nokia Eseries of device. This one supports 3G outside the US.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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My favorite at the moment. The E71 is a ROCK SOLID device that is tough to beat.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I bought this device to have a current Palm OS device for testing. My oldest LOVES it, especially for text messaging and couldn't be happier. I think this is the target market too and know many people who are very happy with the Centro.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I bought this in Singapore and think it is one of the best touch screen Windows Mobile devices. However, I also found I prefer QWERTY keyboards so I traded it away.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I wanted to try an UIQ device, but after buying it I discovered it doesn't even support EDGE in the U.S. so I quickly sold it on ebay.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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A solid Phone Edition/Professional device that my middle daughter has adopted. She loves slider QWERTY devices (she used my Wizard for a year before this).

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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This is my favorite device for my T-Mobile SIM and I am really pleased with its performance and 3rd party application support for the most part.

Published: October 3, 2008 -- 08:34 GMT (01:34 PDT)

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I am pleased to see Palm slim down the Treo line and LOVE this device.

I was recently asked how many PDAs and mobile phones I have owned since I started using them in 1997 and discovered there were 90 that I could remember. This doesn't even count all the review units I used for 2 weeks to 30 days throughout the years too. Take a walk down memory lane and see how many of these devices you remember using too.

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A nice slim Phone Edition device that also gives you a keyboard for easier dialing.